A Spanish word ‘quintos’… the fifth!
Many years ago the word ‘quintos’ was most feared by Filipino families. Why so? Fear for this ordinal number emanated from the Spanish military draft. We were under Spain that time. The recruitment was their means to beef up their naval forces.
It was then when sailing the uncharted seas as a fighter of the big powers such as Spain was tantamount to committing a suicide because during that time, it was not a profession but it was some kind of
an obligation of the subjects to defend the colonizing country – Spain.
The years from 1865 to 1890 were the times when Spain wanted to assert its superiority against and above other European nations. Spain was at war with England; so, the Spanish forces needed men to fight for them. They recruited from the countries under their sovereign rule. The Philippines was one of those nations in the Spanish colony. Among the many islands of the archipelago, Panay island was where they had recruited much more sailors – particularly, in Iloilo. Some historians wrote that the Spanish officials admired the seamanship of the Ilongos as well as the bravery of the men and their craftsmanship on the sea crafts they made. This must be the reason why Iloilo gained the moniker “Muy Leal y Noble Ciudad de Iloilo” (The Ever Loyal and Noble City of Iloilo). What was not expressly stated was that those Filipino men may have been forced in the recruitment that took its heavy toll upon the natives that were already anguished under the punitive style of governance of the Spanish authorities.
It was told and retold that Spain held some kind of a census in the pueblos (towns) so that they will have a way of knowing the number of the males in the families. According to the accounts of the old folks whose generation had a chance to witness those turbulent times, the Spanish authorities took the 5th male of the siblings in the family to be forced to serve the Spanish navy. For the Filipinos, the mere thought of being in the naval forces of Spain that will fight a war out there in the high seas, when at that time, sailors relied only in manual navigational skills, the wind, time and tide, and the stars – made them tremble to their toes. Known for their courage and clannishness, those men may have refused the enlistment not for fear of the voyage but because they know that they will be fighting a war that will not even help their native land at all. Most of them preferred to stay with their families; moreover, at that time, no one from those who were drafted in the navy by Spain, was able to return home either dead or alive.
As much as there were obedient families to the Spanish authorities, there were families too who rebelled against the enforced recruitment. Definitely, Spanish officials ran after the families or their members who refused the conscription. They were hunted down. Families with children comprising of males were forced to flee elsewhere… away from the peripheries of their origin. Other families with more resources went to the neighboring islands in different surnames. Others simply moved out of their abode while they stayed in their place and assumed another family name. Still other families stayed in the homes where they live but allowed their 5th sons to go to try their luck in the nearby towns. Many of these fifth sons traveled far from their homes. They eventually settled permanently in their new-found places of refuge – often, in another name and undisclosed circumstances as to their origin of birth.
It was this ‘quintos’ practice therefore that families lost track of some of their male members after they have fled. However, the luckier ones were able to trace the whereabouts of their 5th member when Spain ceded our country to the Americans.
Today, when family-trees are fashionable to trace, many found out that even during those days when families were so strict with their ladies and while those in hiding refused to reveal their true self… love still grew to blossom.
Many years ago the word ‘quintos’ was most feared by Filipino families. Why so? Fear for this ordinal number emanated from the Spanish military draft. We were under Spain that time. The recruitment was their means to beef up their naval forces.
It was then when sailing the uncharted seas as a fighter of the big powers such as Spain was tantamount to committing a suicide because during that time, it was not a profession but it was some kind of
an obligation of the subjects to defend the colonizing country – Spain.
The years from 1865 to 1890 were the times when Spain wanted to assert its superiority against and above other European nations. Spain was at war with England; so, the Spanish forces needed men to fight for them. They recruited from the countries under their sovereign rule. The Philippines was one of those nations in the Spanish colony. Among the many islands of the archipelago, Panay island was where they had recruited much more sailors – particularly, in Iloilo. Some historians wrote that the Spanish officials admired the seamanship of the Ilongos as well as the bravery of the men and their craftsmanship on the sea crafts they made. This must be the reason why Iloilo gained the moniker “Muy Leal y Noble Ciudad de Iloilo” (The Ever Loyal and Noble City of Iloilo). What was not expressly stated was that those Filipino men may have been forced in the recruitment that took its heavy toll upon the natives that were already anguished under the punitive style of governance of the Spanish authorities.
It was told and retold that Spain held some kind of a census in the pueblos (towns) so that they will have a way of knowing the number of the males in the families. According to the accounts of the old folks whose generation had a chance to witness those turbulent times, the Spanish authorities took the 5th male of the siblings in the family to be forced to serve the Spanish navy. For the Filipinos, the mere thought of being in the naval forces of Spain that will fight a war out there in the high seas, when at that time, sailors relied only in manual navigational skills, the wind, time and tide, and the stars – made them tremble to their toes. Known for their courage and clannishness, those men may have refused the enlistment not for fear of the voyage but because they know that they will be fighting a war that will not even help their native land at all. Most of them preferred to stay with their families; moreover, at that time, no one from those who were drafted in the navy by Spain, was able to return home either dead or alive.
As much as there were obedient families to the Spanish authorities, there were families too who rebelled against the enforced recruitment. Definitely, Spanish officials ran after the families or their members who refused the conscription. They were hunted down. Families with children comprising of males were forced to flee elsewhere… away from the peripheries of their origin. Other families with more resources went to the neighboring islands in different surnames. Others simply moved out of their abode while they stayed in their place and assumed another family name. Still other families stayed in the homes where they live but allowed their 5th sons to go to try their luck in the nearby towns. Many of these fifth sons traveled far from their homes. They eventually settled permanently in their new-found places of refuge – often, in another name and undisclosed circumstances as to their origin of birth.
It was this ‘quintos’ practice therefore that families lost track of some of their male members after they have fled. However, the luckier ones were able to trace the whereabouts of their 5th member when Spain ceded our country to the Americans.
Today, when family-trees are fashionable to trace, many found out that even during those days when families were so strict with their ladies and while those in hiding refused to reveal their true self… love still grew to blossom.
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